Several disappearances and unexplained events have been registered shorty after the commercialization of an ancient statue linked to some legends from a mysterious place called "Reich der Finsternis" in eastern Germany, there is no know route leadin...
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The power of unity
The majestic gates had closed before Ludwig appeared. No one had seen him emerge; his figure seemed to materialize out of one of the shadows cast by the dense mist that enveloped the space. The putrid winds continued to howl, their sound an eerie, haunting melody. Ludwig Holzmann didn't flinch, even with every gun sight trained on him. He knew his power exceeded that of his enemies, and only he understood the rules of the game.
"I see you've been amusing yourselves with my sister," he said, a faint smirk barely lifting the corners of his lips. His posture—arms folded neatly behind his back—oozed an air of aristocracy. "I trust your strength hasn't been entirely drained. The road ahead is arduous, and my father awaits you at its end. It would be... unwise to face him in such a state."
Kira stepped forward, her bow drawn, an arrow aimed directly at his chest. Despite her defiant stance, Ludwig's expression remained untouched by fear or concern.
"Then you must know I already put your brat of a sister in her place," she retorted sharply, the green of her suit catching faint glimmers of light. "Don't think for a second I won't do the same to you."
He raised an eyebrow, his lips curving faintly in what might have been amusement.
A sudden flash of white light erupted from the windows, as bright and fierce as lightning. The radiant burst temporarily blinded the group, leaving them dazed and fumbling for orientation. When their vision cleared, Ludwig was gone. Yet his presence lingered, a suffocating aura that clung to the air like mist.
"Shit..." Liz muttered, clutching her chest as a throbbing ache pulsed beneath her ribs.
"You've crossed the thin veil separating our two worlds," came his voice from behind them.
The agents spun around, their blood running cold—not just from the unnatural chill that permeated the room. There he stood, Ludwig, positioned behind them as though he had never moved. His movements were instantaneous, too fast to track, too unnatural to comprehend.
"There is the tangible world," he continued, his tone steady and void of emotion, "and the abstract one. Both have been under the rule of our blessed leaders since the revelation of the dark blood."
The agents froze, their breaths shallow and quick. Though they had witnessed his abilities alongside Ulrike's, this was something far more unnerving. The true depth of Ludwig Holzmann's power, as the heir of Friedrich Holzmann and the duchess, began to sink in.
Another flash of white light illuminated the room. This time, he reappeared to their left, under the towering windows where violet auroras cast shifting patterns across the walls. Anxiety rippled through the team; their unease was palpable, reflected in the erratic rhythm of their breaths.
"This place is but a fragment of our vast dominion," Ludwig said, his voice taking on an unsettling echo. "Here lie the memories of our great queen and alchemist, Anneliese Holzmann, preserved since the dawn of the darkness. Her legacy lives on, and upon her return, she and my father will reign supreme over the weak. Extending our power to every realm is but an inevitability."
